Im such a bad blogger!

Hello lovelies!

Its true! I am!
I keep revisiting this blog and trying to summons up the love I once had for it.  I start with good intentions but life gets in the way.  I lead a busy life and to add that I have started study again.  This is taking quite a lot of time (more than I first though) and so the blog has took some what of  a back seat.

I still enjoy reading others blogs and also writing here but I have made a decision.




I will early nest year start blogging again.  I will start in January and try to set myself a goal of once a fortnight to begin with.  If I don't meet this coal I will, with all sadness, call it a day over here on The PB Family until such a time as I feel able to pick it up again or one of the family does so.

Well a big thank you to all those who have stuck with us, messaged to check on us and generally wished us well.
Have a great Christmas holiday no matter what you are doing or who with and I hope to be back with you in the new year!
Bye for now

Hales & Co xxx

Doggie Delight!

Hello Lovelies.

I was very surprised this week when there was a knock on the door and the local courier stood there with a huge parcel.  Firstly I was thinking "What have I ordered and forgot about?".  As I opened it I was surprised to find we had been sent a box of dog food by the lovely people at bakers for the fur babies to try out



It was so heavy and stuffed with goodies!  As soon as the dogs realised there was food in there They just sat waiting to be fed!  I let them try some of the lovely treats.  When I opened them the smell of bacon was very overwhelming.  I have to say I thought it was a little artificial but it certainly grabbed the dogs attention and they gobbled them down without a second thought!.    There was no effect on the dogs tummies which is a problem we sometimes find with dog treats and as they are quite long sticks we were able to cut them in half as are doggies really small.  This meant they lasted longer!




I opened the sacks of food and they seemed to be nothing very different from other foods Ive tried.  To be honest it was just dog food!  The good thing was the size of the lumps of food was small so this suited our dogs perfectly.

There was a good mix of meat and vegetables and the dogs seemed to enjoy it.  Lets just say there was no food left in the bowls!  there was no overwhelming or offensive smells both from the food and from the dogs afterwards (if you get my meaning!). This seems to suit our dogs very well and they were happy enough with it so I think I will buy it and continue using it for them.

So all in all Bakers small dog food and treats got a paws up from The PB Doggies.  They were happy with it, we were happy and so a big thank you to bakers and insiders for this gift.


If you have a small dog I would recommend trying this food.  I can't vouch for bigger breeds and the food bakers market for them but the small dog food is a hit!


Well its a big bye for now from us!  Hope to see you back here again soon

Hales x























,

Mad Hot Summer 2019

Hi Lovelies!
Wow has it been hot!  Unbearably hot too!.  I'm not a huge fan of the warm weather at the best of times but this has been something else!  I have spent lots of time in the garden both working and relaxing.  Ive managed to avoid getting burnt and have chased the Grandchildren around with hats and suncream so often I think they are getting bored of it now









It is however perfect for those evening strolls in our local woodland.  When the sun is going down its lovely to get in the shade of the trees and listen as the wind rushes through the leaves.  A simple pleasure but a pleasure all the same.





Mr PB managed to find a perfect way to cool down when we went on a date to Hemsby!  This was a Ferro Rocher milkshake.  he drank it to the last drop and gave it a huge thumbs up! Well you would wouldn't you?
What have you been doing to keep cool?

Speak soon

Hales xxx

All girls together!

Hello my lovelies!

I have to say that although I am a bit of a social butterfly I do tend to have very few close friends.  This is for many different reasons.  Some I can explain and other I cant.  I have a couple a good friends that I have known since being a child. 

Another who was my mainstay through my teen age years and then I have friends that I have known since becoming a adult.  The thing is all of these people are important to me.  They are the people I would trust my life with.  The ones who I have laughed and cried with.  There are friends that I have confided secrets with and those that I have laughed as we have told stories about misadventures. 

I have grieved with some and held others as they have cried. Some of my friends know each other and others have never met.  We have been sick together, fought battles and just been happy to 'do life' with.

No matter how close we are or how long it has been since we last spoke or saw each other, they are my friends, My family and who I most like to be around. 

We all need these people in our lives.  We need those that we can depend on,  be reassured by and just have fun with.  I have been blessed with the best bunch of friends and would be lost without them.  How would I ever manage without them?  I wouldn't! I wouldn't want to either.  So my friends,  Never underestimate the effect you have had in my life.  The way you have propped me up and at times defended me.  you have held my hand through life and will continue to do so and in return I shall hold yours!

I love you guys.

So if you have a friend that you haven't seen or spoken to for a while pick up the phone, make a coffee date or just go for a walk in the park together.  Maybe you have fallen out with a friend over something that now seems daft. Our pride gets in the way and ruins things for us.  Build that bridge, make that call and get things back on track.  You wont regret it!


Bye for now!

Things change in life

Hello Lovelies.

In our lives things often change.  We get married have children, work, progress in our careers, some marriages don't make it and some do.  Some people find the love of their lives first time round and for others it takes two or three or more attempts.  

Mr PB and I in the early days

When we dont know what our future holds it can be pretty scary stuff!  We kind of have a plan for our futures of how our lives will map out but then things change and we are left floundering!
Its difficult when you are going through changes and sometimes its hard for others to understand.  Our children have grown up except for the girl child who is very much her own person now at nearly 14 years old and so Mr PB and I are embarking on some pretty life changing stuff ourselves.

  

We have been considering things for quite a while and although nothing is finalised just yet there is a very very good chance we will be leaving our home and moving to somewhere new.  We may be embarking on new careers, who knows.  All we do know is that what ever we do do, it will be together and as one!  

Bye for now

Hales xxxxxx

100 Books I wish to read!

Hello lovelies

I hope you are all well.
As regular visitors here will know I have a love of reading.  I read any chance I can get and always have two or three books on the go at one time.  It drives Mr PB crazy that there are so many books in the house and yet I cant pass a charity shop without nipping inside to see if there are any books that catch my eye!  





I often buy books on a whim and to be honest I'm running out of space so, with that in mind I have decided to compile a list of 100 books I would like to read before I'm 50 years old!

Now I am only 44 years old right now and so I have six years to complete the list! 

 Of course these are not the only books I shall be reading but the list will give me a good variety and keep my reading in some kind of order. Or not as the case may be!

It would be nigh on impossible for me to complete the list right now and so I shall keep adding to the list as I find books that interest me and crossing off those which I have read!So without further ado here is my list!

1. The Red sister

2.The Power of letting Go - Rev Martin

3. Home Going home going

4. The dark and hollow places (follow up to the forest of hands and teeth which I loved!)

5.  Ten arguments for deleting your social media accounts right now!   (Ive heard mixed reviews about this but I think its worth a read)

6.  Twisted tales - A whole new world! (I'm slowly making my way through the series!  For those of you who don't know these are books telling the classic fairy tales with a completely new spin on them!



  7.  The Binding 

8.Lost boy - A retelling of Peter Pan in Wendy's words

 9. Bye Mam I love you - Sonya Oatley

10.  Weep not child

  11.  Judah's wife - Angela Hunt

  12. Sarai (Wives of the Patriarchs Book #1)

13.  Mice of the round table -Merlin's last quest

14. The End - Mark Hitchcock

15.  Does Your Tongue Need Healing? by Derek Prince

16.  Women of the Word - by Jen Wilkin 

17. Love Letters Of Great Men And Women by Ursula Doyle

18.  Body Positive Power: How to stop dieting, make peace with your body and live - Megan Crabbe

19 The wisdom of Sally red shoes - Ruth Hogan

20. Little house on the Prairie 

21. The Silent Companions: by Laura Purcell 

22. When I Was Invisible by Dorothy Koomson

23.  The Sapphire Widow - Dinah Jefferies

24.  This is going to hurt - Diaries of a junior Doctor - Adam Kay

25.  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Phew!  So that is the first instalment of my book list!  All of these books are available on Amazon and if Mr PB is reading this, any are suitable as a gift for Moi! I shall be back soon with the second instalment and if you have any recommendations for books you feel I may enjoy please feel free to comment below!

Bye for now!

Hales xx

Showers in May!

Hello Lovelies!

Firstly my apologies for the lack of posts.  I was writing a series of Easter posts when I was taken ill.  Unfortunately I was unable to finish the series and havent posted since!  Thank you for the messages asking where I was and why I hadnt posted.  Its lovely to know you are missed and I do apprieciate it very much!

So with that being said, I hope that you have had a great Easter break and are enjoying this lovely bank holiday! 

Unfortuntaly here at Sunny Suffolk the weather has been quite a mixed bag!  We nipped into town (Mr PB and I) to take our grandaughters books back to the libary.  We had the intention of browsing the shops but as we left the libary it absolutely bucketed it down!  We even had hailstones!  In May!  So we decided against it and instead came home.  Home is a five minute drive and by the time we got home it had stopped raining and the sun was out!  Its so interchangeable.  You get up in the morning and dress for cold weather and by the afternoon we are all wearing t-shirts and shorts!  Whats going on!

I am hopeing that today (Monday 6th May) We shall beable to get out into the garden and give it some much needed maintainence as it is in a sorry old shape.  Last year it was pretty much neglected with the exception of a bit of pruning and mowing the lawn, it was pretty much left to its own devices.  That means that this year it will need even more work.  I do love a spot of gardening but stryggle phyically to keep up with it.  Mr PB however has the fitness and strength but absolutly hates gardening!  That is where we compliment each other!  He does the heavy stuff, the lifting mowing etc and I do the pretty things like putting in plants and flowers!  We are blessed in that we have a small sized garden which is half patio and half lawn.  This means that there isnt too much gardening really.

What will you be doing on your bank Holiday?

Bye for now
Hales x

My UK Towns and Cities Bucket List

Hello lovelies!

How are you all?  
These past few days have just wizzed by and I cant believe that we are on week two of the Easter half-term holidays already!  How did that happen?  We havent been particualy busy but the days have flown!  In just a few days time all the childrens easter eggs will be eaten and they will be back at school.  Where the parents may welcome the rest that comes from having the children back at school, We, as grandparents will miss dropping by the houses and just being able to have fun and spend time with them all.  

Mr PB and I are planning to take some time out this summer and going traveling round the UK,  We usually only get as far south as the midlands and no more north than skegness so we are hoping to go fuirther afield!  

We have been pondering on places we might like to visit and have made somewhat of a list.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin!

Cornwall

I have friends and family in Cornwall so have visited a few times, however Mr PB has never visited.  I love both the coastline and the countryside area and although it will be quite a long journey from where we live, Its a visit we look forward to.

Liverpool

I love big cities.  I love the hustle and bustle and the people.  The noise and the shopping, The Museums and the exhibitions.  Liverpool ticks all those boxes! 

Mr PB does not like cities or city life!  But I have a cunning plan!  He is a avid sports fan.  He has supported and followed Liverpool FC since being a boy and I think that if I combine our visit with a football fixture then there is a good chance he will agree to a visit!

Stonehenge

This is a place I have always wanted to visit but unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity.  I would absolutely love to visit on the summer solstice but I fail to see how that will be possible this year but I can hope! 

It must be a beautiful sight to see the sunrise over that beautiful monument, surrounded by all those people with thier own personal belief systems. Amazing!

Brighton

Who wouldn't want to visit Brighton!  I guess one of the most noisy, flamboyant and fun times of the year must be the gay pride festival.  Miss PB would be content to just wander around Brighton looking for Zoe Sugg or Gabriella Lindleys houses!

  But I would love all the ethical craft shops, the vegan food and the hippy tat shops!  But of course, the main reason Choccywoccydoodar!  No but seriously it is just a beautiful part of the UK coast.

Edinburgh

Mr PB has been to Scotland many times.  As a child he travelled there extensively with his family.  His Father was involved in the grain industry and he would travel the country with that work and had opportunity to take the family with him. 

Edinburgh is a city steeped in history and to visit the castle would be a huge box ticking exercise for me!  Mr PB has often spoken of returning and so this fine city is on our list.

Lastly We would like to go to Wales and to drive through the Chedder Gorge on route to the coast. 

The views are spectacular and I would love for us to do some hiking in the area.  Maybe I need to work on my fitness levels first!  


So that is our list!  We are hoping to do some of this at least!  Who knows what this year will bring but we know we will be having a staycation in the UK and not going abroad so all these places are stark possibilities!  I will keep you all updated and shall of course take lots of photos and document it all here!

Well that is all from me for today.  Please leave a comment below telling us where you will be holidaying this year, or are you having a staycation like we are and staying here in the UK?  Either way we would love to hear all about it!

Thank you for visiting and we hope to see you all here at our little space on the tinterweb sometimes soon!

Bye For Now

Hales xxx

Holy week Part 1 - Maundy Thursday - Passover

Hello Lovelies!

As our regular visitors are aware we are very committed Christians.  So of course Holy week is very special to us.  We rarely use this blog to speak of our faith as we write elsewhere on this but Holy week is extremely important for us.

Mr PB is serving in the leadership team at our home church at this present time and his term of office has recently been renewed.  This means he is very busy this week! On Monday he was reading at another local church as they put on a reading of the passion of Christ.  Our Church has been forging ahead making ties and building realationships with local churches after a few years of us being a stand alone church (there are reasons for this but I won't elaborate on here) and its great to see local churches coming together and Christians becoming friends and family.

So what is Maundy Thursday?  What is it all about?

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week. It represents the day that the Jewish Passover was celebrated in the Bible Story of Easter.

Jesus had his last meal with his friends and followers before he was killed. This meal is now know as 'The Last Supper'. 

Jesus and his friends would have followed the Jewish Passover custom of eating roast lamb and unleavened bread  and drinking red wine.

At the meal that Jesus had with this followers, he said to them: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34.

Also at the same meal, Jesus told/commanded his followers to think of him when they ate bread and drank wine. This is very important to Christians and is now remembered in the Christian service known as Communion.

Jesus washed his disciples feet before the meal to show that is important to be helpful and serve others. Here in the UK the queen distributes Maundy Money instead of washing peoples feet as priests in other countries still do!  This is a practice carried out for hundreds of years!

After the meal, Jesus and some of his friends went to a nearby garden called Gethsemene to pray. Later in the evening he was betrayed by one of His disciples called Judas. Jesus was arrested and taken to trial.

So Tonight we shall go as a family to our church and eat with our church family to remember both the Passover , the last supper and the sacrifice of Jesus.

Tomorrow I shall tell you about why we remember Good Friday

Bye for now 

Hales xxx

Half term - Easter holidays 2019

Hi Lovelies!

Well here in sunny Suffolk we have started the Easter holidays.  I love this time of being with the children.  So far we have had a couple of days with the grand children.  We spent a few hours in the park close to their home today.  It was lovely and sunny but we underestimated how cold it was out there!  The worst thing was the wind.  There is a saying here, "the wind goes straight through you not round you!" and that is so true.  It was that cutting biting wind that stings.  The children were content to just play and run around and I guess they don't feel the cold as badly as my old bones!  Granddad stayed huddled in the car!  Clever move Granddad!

The three eldest Grandchildren

Just spending time with the grandchildren is such a blessing.  They are small for such a short time and we cherish every moment.  It doesn't seem so long ago that their dads were their age!  Time truly flies!  Now that Princess is 13 years old she doesn't always want to hang out with us so its good that we can get the dogs on their leads and just go walking and adventuring with the Grandbabies.  They are still at the age where they think Grandma and Granddad are cool!

I will most probably be photo spamming the blog with day out photos during these holidays but looking back over the blog I can see that we have documented a lot of our lives here.  There have been special moments and sad moments.  Births, deaths and marriages.  Birthdays and Christmases.  This blog has become in essence the online diary of our lives.  I am considering starting a new blog to link the Youtube channel and post non family stuff.  This is and always will be primarily a family blog and I've realised the importance of that.  I will update you all on what I do decide to do but right now I feel like the best thing to do is to start a new blog for all non family guff! 

Well once again, thank you for dropping in to visit us and we hope to see you all here again very soon!

Bye for now
Hales xxx

Paying for the royals

Hi lovelies!

Well very soon we will be hearing the news that another royal baby has been born.

Baby Sussex will be seventh in line to the throne.  I am unashamedly a royalist and believe in the monarchy.  It is a institution that we as a country, should be immensely proud of.  Many countries do not have a Queen or a King so we are blessed.  They do a fantastic job (well some of them)

Although I am a royalist I do believe there should be a restriction on how many we are required to pay for as a country.  The monarch, Next in line to the throne and their families should be our responsibility to pay for and support.  After that they should be on their own and expected to find employment as would any other person.  By this I mean HRH Queen Elizabeth, Husband and her children, and then Charles' children should be on the royal payroll.  The others should support themselves. whether this is by charging for royal engagements or getting a job would be entirely up to them.  (If I ruled the world!).  This means that royal such as Princess Beatrice etc would support themselves.

Its not a popular idea among royalists but its a opinion I have and stick to.  After all cutbacks should effect everyone not just the working man.

Let me know your thoughts, do you agree or not?
Either way its food for thought!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you here again real soon.
Bye for now

Hales xx

Game Of Thrones - The Return!

Hi Everyone!

In a short while Game of thrones will start on our TV screens here in the UK.  To say Mr PB and I are excited is a understatement!  We are big fans of the show and cant wait to sit down nd see what Mr Martin has in store for us.  We really like to watch this kind of genre of shows and films.  Things like GOT, Harry Potter, Lord of the rings and The Hobbit really float our boat!  I (Hales) have my own theory on the plots.

I think that Tyrion Lanister is actully a Targaryen.  Remember when the dragons were locked away in the underground tunnels by Daenerys? Tyrion went into the tunnels and touched the dragons to free them.  You can't just walk up to a dragon and stroke them! they aren't next doors cat!. There have been other things pointing to this also.  It was said that the mad king was infatuated by Johanna (Tyrions Mother) and Tywin Lanister said multiple times that Tyrion wasnt his son. There are three dragons, The prophecy said the dragon had three heads, Daenerys, Jon Snow and Tyrion?
Hes a Targaryen! I know it!

Another theory I (Hales) has is that Samwell Tarly has a big part to play in the conclusion of the shows.  he has so far really been seen as a weak and somewhat simple kind of man but I think that he will come in to his own in this season. Who knows I could be wrong!

Everyone that we speak to has some kind of theory on GOT and thats mine!  We find that we have a divided group of friends, Throners and Non-Throners!  We know some scenes can be quite racey but the storyline is brilliant!  The twists and turns keep us guessing and its so unpriedctable. 

The big question is,  Who will ultimately win "The Game of Thrones" and get to sit on the Iron throne and rule the seven kingdoms?

So we will be settled down with a Large Mug of coffee, Snacks and the opening episode with bated breath!
Do you have any theories about the show? Are you a fan?  Please comment below and let us know!

Bye for now

The PB's!

March Favourites!

Hi Lovelies!

So lets jump straight in with what I've been loving this month!

Spring!
I'm totally loving the sunny weather.  Sometimes in the UK the lines between Winter and spring are somewhat blurred!  We often don't know what season it is because of the awful weather.  Not so this year!  We have had some lovely sunny days which have been so warm we have been able to go out without coats or woollies on.  I love spring!  Its one of my favourite times of the year.  The little flowers and blossoms on the trees is a sure sign of new starts and that the darkness of winter is over!

Learning sign language

One of my friends is partially deaf and communicates partly by using sign language.  It is something that I've always wanted to learn but never really had the opportunity.  So my friend and I meet up each Monday and she teaches me a new sign each week.  So far I know all the important signs like Coffee, Cake, Biscuits and of course "I need the bathroom!"  

I believe very strongly that sign language should be taught in all schools as its so important that deaf people can communicate with anyone they need to.  

I did notice that after the horrible events at the Mosque in New Zealand when the Prime Minister was giving a press conference, there was someone signing what she was saying to the country.  Apparently this is something that is common place in both New Zealand and Australia.  Why does it not happen here?  I will personally be writing to our Prime Minister and asking the question why?   

Dirty John
I'm loving the Netflix show dirty John.   Its not really the kind of thing I would really usually watch but my brother talked me in to it!  Before watching I thought "would anyone ever really be taken in that easily?"  But having watched it I realise how clever these con-men are.  Although I still think the lady in question was a little naive.  I don't want to say too much in case anyone wants to watch it!

Cadbury Creme Egg!  Well you just cannot not include these can you!  To quote the advert "how do you eat yours?!"  I always bite the top off and scoop out the centre!  Yum Yum YUM!

Now this may seem a strange one but,  I'm really enjoying getting together with the women in my life!  Chatting, having a cuppa, laughing and just enjoying each others company.  A wise lady once told me that we choose our family and I have to say it is so true!  I have such great friends of both genders and of every age.  My oldest friend is in her 80's and the youngest around 20 years old but in friendship age doesn't matter!    
If you haven't connected with your ladies in a while then why not arrange to meet for coffee, invite one round for tea, or just telephone and have a long chat!

Well that's my favourites for this month!  Why not leave a comment below and let me know yours!

Bye for now 

Hales xxxx